[This event really happened. The article first appeared in December, 2005, in a webzine that I had with my daughter. In view of the recent killing-by-rifle of a gorilla in a zoo in Ohio I dust this off and offer it here in desktodirt. Please do not attribute any political motives to this story: there aren’t any. In my case, respecting animals is non-partisan.] After

“All Scorpions are venomous. Only about 25-30 of them have a type of venom that is potent enough to make someone very ill or to kill them.”[*] I’m glad I searched that. If I hadn’t I might have thought all 90 of the species could kill me; that “only” means my chances of dying-by-bite are down to roughly one in

My neighbor recently introduced pitch black “Studly” – formally known by an ear tag as 98 – to his modest family of cows. He arrived with subdued fanfare: if a dozen regaled trumpeters were normally lined up to salute a lad of his breeding, in this case – due to budgetary restraints – he’d get one. Like the equivalent of a teenager, his mind

I remember as a young child seeing on television this smiling, benevolent-looking man covered in flowing orange cloth. He was a visitor from a place far away; he was the Dalai Lama from Tibet. [Of all the countless images and thoughts that pass through a mind in a lifetime, why do a few stay stuck, and others simply whiz by

What a beautiful day it was yesterday: clear blue, sunny sky, with a hint of coolness from a north breeze. We need days like this to dry out the slog from the last few weeks of record-breaking rain. It is also a primo day to work on the motorcycle. Sitting outside on my stool with wrenches at the ready I

Having now lived two full years of an agrarian Texas country life, I’ve come to appreciate Nature’s hand in it. It is just as random and capricious out here as it is in the midst of cheek-to-jowl big city humanity. The difference is that in farm country our animal kingdom friends are close-by, clearly seen, and there are more of them.

Last night I was sitting and writing in my old, inspiring Morris chair. Ernie was scrunched in behind me: yes, behind my back. Graciously he now leaves me a few inches at the edge of the seat cushion to rest my bum and reach the laptop’s keyboard. This close proximity started a couple months ago after we had that confrontation

Spring in Texas is becoming more motorcycle friendly so I was out and about with mine. Going down a country road to our local airport I came upon a white animal in the road. As I slowed down to see it closer up I looked over to my right and saw two more: another white one and a larger brown-faced

The title of this piece was a commonly used expression with the WWII generation. My parents – and especially our Mother – used it often. It meant why waste your time on that; or don’t bother it isn’t worth the trouble. I brought it back for the moment to be used literally: stop and save some berries “for the birds.” In

It’s the time of year when we have just sprung the clocks forward. That annoying measure, however, can be quickly put aside because Texas wildflowers put a smile on your face each morning, albeit an hour later. The beautiful white flower shown is a one-off. It immediately stood out from its field of multi-cultural neighbors. I looked twice through my extensive Texas Wildflowers Field